Django Unchained — Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained works on two levels. The surface level is that of a simple revenge flick, of the wronged taking up arms in a mission of retribution. From that point of view, it’s a movie that has been made a hundred times, usually with Clint Eastwood squinting into the sun as he quick draws. The movie works well in that genre. Played straight, it stands with the best of Western vengeance tales, spiced with Tarantino trademarks of ultraviolence, perfect music, and darkly humorous asides. But the fact that this particular version of the Man with No Name is a former slave cannot be overlooked. The implications of that, and the focus of the story on slavery itself, construct the film’s second level and elevate it from effective genre film into something more.

Arrow, Season 2 — Arrow isn’t just a sort of Batman-meets-Hawkeye. It’s actually more like Batman-meets-Hawkeye-meets-The Punisher. It’s a pretty intense show at times, and it works for a number of reasons. It’s fun, it’s exciting, the storyline is solid and enjoyable, the cast is refreshingly diverse, and it’s got nods-a-plenty to comic book nerds as well as a host of other genre fans. Yet despite that, it’s also surprisingly not superhero-y. There are no super powers at all, no science lab accidents, no mutating whatevers. In fact, no one ever calls him “Green Arrow” or even “Arrow.” He’s simply known as “the hood,” which is a nice touch and nod to realism.

October’s Terrible Movie We Have to See

Bad Johnson (2014) (Cam Gigandet, Jamie Chung, Katherine Cunningham, Nick Thune, Kevin Miller) — Chronic philanderer Rich Johnson faces a major life crisis when he discovers that his penis has detached itself and taken human shape, forcing him to contend with the unenviable task of trying to control his wayward genitalia.

Notable Expirations

Battlestar Galactica
Law & Order
Law & Order: SVU
Hunger Games
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters 2
Major League
Mean Girls
Safe
The Thomas Crown Affair

The Rest of the Best in October
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Galaxy Quest (1999) (October 1st)
Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series (October 1st)
Team America: World Police (2004) (October 1st)
Tombstone (1993) (October 1st)
In a World… (2013) (October 22nd)
Sons of Anarchy: Season 6 (October 27th)